


Greatest Moments

by charlotte123456789



Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Gen, Letters, Pocket Watches, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotte123456789/pseuds/charlotte123456789
Summary: He stared at the letter in his hand. He knew what it meant. It meant she had it. She was one of them.
Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157993
Kudos: 8





	Greatest Moments

He stared at the letter in his hand. Addressed to Poppy Dursley, listing both the house and her specific room.

He _knew_ what it meant.

It meant she had _it._ She was one of _them._

His first child would be taken from him to a place far away, where she would be mixing with _others._

But it was his _Poppy._ Why? Why did this have to happen?

He placed the letter down gently on the table and sat down.

It was a Saturday - nobody would be up yet for at least another hour, everybody wanting to sleep as much as possible in retaliation of the early morning wakeups for school.

What was he to do? What _could_ he do? Could he refuse or would they come and take her away anyway?

He sighed and pulled out his pocket watch, laying it out, open on the table in front of him beside the letter. It ticked backwards, counting back every second that passed.

It had been a gift from Harry all those years ago, a peace offering. Neither of them had been overjoyed with the meeting, but both felt better for coming to terms with the past. He had been told it would count backwards to the great moments in his life, then it would pause for the duration before ticking backwards once more, counting down to life's next greatest moment.

He hadn't believed any of it, thinking it to just be some gimmicky item. But it was an offering nevertheless and it helped start to open a conversation between them.

A few years went by and he had thought nothing more of it - until it was his wedding day and he needed a pocket watch on a chain to appease Abigail, his soon-to-be wife.

He had dutifully put it on and waited at the altar for her.

Until he had pulled it out to check the time and had realised it had frozen. The prior conversation had rushed into his mind and he stood just a little bit taller and his grin just a tad bit wider knowing that this was going to be one of the greatest days of his life.

Since that day, he had kept in on his person, glancing at it every so often, waiting to see what may happen.

The next time it had stopped had been an ordinary day, nothing planned, no anniversary. Normal.

Then Abigail had broken the news to him that she was pregnant. Once again it was one of the greatest moments in his life. They had both been overjoyed.

The clock ticked on backwards the next day and continued ticking backwards for nine months.

Nine months that were spent fretting and planning and double-checking that everything was perfectly ready.

Then the watch had stopped again and Poppy Ava Dursley was born.

Over the next 11 years it has stopped a few more times in its relentless countdown; for the birth of his second child, Rowan Issacs Dursley, his vow renewal, finally buying their family home.

The watch kept ticking back as he stared at it now.

 _Maybe_ this wasn't what he had anticipated for his daughter but she was one of the greatest things in his life. And if that meant she went to witch school then so be it.

He closed his watch, put it back in his pocket and stood up.

He spared one last glance at the letter sitting innocently on the table before moving over to the phone.

It was time to ring his cousin.

If Poppy was going to be going to witch school then she would have all the help she could get and he would keep waiting for his watch to tick backwards towards her graduation when he was sure it would stop once more.

Because no matter what, his family are all part of his life's greatest moments.


End file.
